Background

Southeastern Michigan's Clinton River, located just north of
Detroit, flows 80 miles (128 km) from its headwaters to Lake St.
Clair near the city of Mt. Clemens. The river drains 1,968 km2 (760
square miles) of southeastern Michigan, including portions of
Oakland and Macomb Counties and small areas of St. Clair and Lapeer
Counties. The Area of
Concern (AOC) includes the entire watershed as well as a portion of Lake St.
Clair immediately downstream of the mouth of the Clinton River. Up
to half of the river's flow is treated wastewater from six municipal
wastewater treatment plants. Land use in the watershed is
predominantly commercial and residential, although agriculture is
still common in the North Branch subwatershed. The main industries
in the area are automotive-related.

Several concerns were cited in the initial 1988
Clinton River Remedial Action Plan that described why the river was
listed as an AOC. These concerns were (1) conventional pollutants
including high fecal coliform bacteria and nutrients, (2) high total
dissolved solids, (3) contaminated sediments including heavy metals,
PCBs, oil and grease, and (4) impacted biota. Historical point
source discharges and some nonpoint sources are responsible for
sediment contamination in the mainstem Clinton River. Metals,
nutrients, petroleum hydrocarbon, PCBs, DDT and other organic
compounds reside in the sediments at levels of concern from Pontiac
to the mouths of both the river and the spillway, as well as in the
Red Run Drain/Plum Brook subwatershed. Many old closed landfills are
of concern. Fecal contamination, including bacteria and nutrients,
from wastewater treatment plants was greatly reduced in the years
prior to the publication of the 1988 RAP.

Although historical industrial and municipal
discharges were the primary causes of environmental degradation in
the Clinton River, and thus of its designation as an AOC, ongoing
contamination problems are almost exclusively of nonpoint source
origin. There are no major industrial discharges to the river or its
tributaries of process water (only non-contact cooling water and stormwater), and most (though not all) municipalities have adequate
industrial pretreatment programs and have implemented combined sewer
control plans. As such, stormwater runoff as a category (including
the two municipal systems still experiencing combined sewer
overflows), is probably the single greatest source of water quality
degradation.

Very rapid urban expansion and the subsequent loss
of habitat is the second significant category of environmental
problems related to water quality in the Clinton River watershed.
Oakland County leads the state in new construction, and Macomb
County is experiencing rapid urbanization as well. Wetlands and
other wildlife habitat have been all but eliminated from the
downstream portion of the basin, and natural drainage has been
drastically altered throughout the watershed.

Historical point source discharges and ongoing
nonpoint sources are responsible for sediment contamination in the
mainstem Clinton River. Metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
pesticides and other organics have been documented over several
decades in a number of locations along the Clinton River from
Pontiac to the mouths of both the river and the spillway.

Delisting Targets

Local restoration criteria(PDF 916Kb, 48pps) for six of the BUIs
in the Clinton River AOC were developed and approved by the PAC in
2005. The PAC has also received additional funding from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency – Great Lakes National Program
Office (USEPA-GLNPO) to further refine its criteria for the fish and
wildlife BUIs – including degraded fish and wildlife populations and
loss of habitat. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
will review the Clinton River PAC’s completed restoration criteria
to determine whether they are at least functionally equivalent to
the statewide criteria included in MDEQ' s Guidance for Delisting
Michigan's Great Lakes Areas of Concern. When approved by MDEQ, the
PAC's restoration criteria for each of the 8 BUIs will be
incorporated into future RAP Updates.

As BUIs are restored in the Clinton River, MDEQ, the PAC, and
USEPA-GLNPO will evaluate whether the approved restoration criteria
have been met. When all BUIs have been restored, MDEQ will work with
the PAC to recommend delisting the Clinton River AOC to the
USEPA-GLNPO.

RAP Implementation

Recent progress and achievements

2004-2005: The PAC received a grant from the Great Lakes Commission to
develop delisting criteria for the Clinton River AOC in
2004-2005. A grant to further develop the fish and wildlife
populations, habitat, and benthic community BUIs was received
from U.S. EPA in 2005.

2005: The U.S. Geological Survey completed a sediment transport
study.

2003-2005: Oakland University received a grant to conduct an assessment
of contaminated sediments

The Clinton River Watershed Council launched a major
stormwater education effort in 2004.

The Clinton River Watershed Council launched the
Adopt-A-Stream volunteer river monitoring program in spring
2005. More than 150 volunteers were recruited to monitor two
dozen sites in the first year of the program.

Seven subwatershed planning groups consisting of more than
50 communities and county agencies have formed since 2001, and
are currently developing subwatershed management plans and Storm
Water Pollution Prevention Initiatives as part of the
requirements of the NPDES Phase II stormwater permit.

DEQ initiated sediment dredging using CMI funds in 2002.

Ozone purification at the Mt. Clemens water treatment plant
began implementation in 2001.

There are numerous nonpoint pollution control projects in
the watershed being planned and implemented with Section 319
funds.

Control of CSOs has been addressed with new permits, and
construction of required improvements is underway. Additionally,
sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) have been recognized and
corrections are underway.

Illicit sewer connections are being actively enforced, and
fieldwork to discover and correct these illegal connections is
underway. Further enforcement actions have been taken on failing
septic systems, wetlands violations, etc.

A subwatershed management plan was completed for Stony Creek
in 2003.

A nonpoint source control plan was completed for an urban
subwatershed (Bear Creek), in 2000.

Options for improved operation and management of onsite
sewage systems have been identified and are being implemented.

Combined sewers have been separated in Almont, Armada,
Pontiac, Rochester, and Warren.

Partial separation and construction of a CSO retention basin
has been accomplished in Mt. Clemens.

Macomb County has aggressively enforced provisions of the
stormwater permitting program.

A Macomb County special prosecutor for water quality was
hired

Progress has been made by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in the cleanup of many of the waste sites,
using Act 307 and Superfund monies.

Two years of sediment sampling have occurred to locate areas
of contamination outside the lower river.

Oakland County established an infrastructure fund to
financially assist municipalities with pollution control
efforts.

Current projects and outlook

Solutions to many of the most serious problems (i.e. stormwater
management, habitat protection) in the Clinton River Watershed
require implementation at the local level through mechanisms like
land use planning. Because the watershed encompasses over 50 local
units of government, comprehensive and coordinated efforts are
difficult.

Funding has been secured through a federal appropriation to
update the RAP in 2005-2006. These documents are produced
primarily by work groups consisting of Public Advisory Council
(PAC) and RAP Team representatives, other technical experts, and
the general public.

All 42 municipalities that must comply with the NPDES Phase
II stormwater permit applied for Michigan's watershed-based
permit, and have thus formed subwatershed planning groups that
meet monthly to work on watershed planning and stormwater
management initiatives.

The Macomb County Health Department is currently working to
identify and remediate bacterial sources throughout the
watershed.

A number of communities are actively working on upgrading
the wastewater treatment system.

A major water quality monitoring initiative on the Clinton
River, St. Clair River, and Lake St. Clair was made possible
through Clean Michigan Initiative funds and is being spearheaded
by the Macomb County Health Department. Data collection began in
2004.

2005: Draft Clinton
River Assessment(PDF 1,010Kb, 60pps) - Addresses
geography, history, geology, soils and land use, dams and
barriers, water quality, biological communities, fisheries
management, recreational use and citizen involvement, as well as
other aspects of the Clinton River watershed. Management options
are identified, to provide a foundation for public discussion,
priority setting, and to assist in ultimately planning the
future of the Clinton River.

Community Involvement

The Clinton
River Public Advisory Council (PAC): Meetings take
place several times a year. The PAC welcomes attendance and
input from anyone interested in the environmental issues
confronting the watershed.

The Clinton River Watershed
Council: A nonprofit organization dedicated to
protecting, enhancing and celebrating the Clinton River, its
watershed and Lake St. Clair.